Confetti Rice and Bean Salad

This chilled rice and bean salad is chock full of good protein and veggies, and it's gluten free!  The dressing has a great tangy-sweet and slightly smoky flavor that ties everything together beautifully.  It makes a nice meatless entree for a lighter dinner, or makes a great side dish too.  It requires a couple hours chilling in the fridge for the flavors to really meld, but that just means that you can make it in advance and have it all ready to go at dinner time.  And other than the chilling time, it really comes together quite quickly.  It's a great salad for potlucks, too--all the fun textures and colors make for a very pretty salad that is sure to impress.

Confetti Rice and Bean Salad

Number of Servings: 6
Time to Prepare: 2 hours 30 minutes

• 3 cups cooked basmati or wild rice (I usually use the Uncle Ben's Long Grain & Wild Rice mix, but I don't know if it is completely gluten free, so you can make your own blend or just use basmati rice if that is a concern)
• 1 (15 oz) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 1/2 cups frozen corn, thawed
• 4 green onions, white and green parts thinly sliced
• 1 red or orange bell pepper, diced
• 1/4 cup minced cilantro
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp pepper

Cook the rice.  Chop the veggies while the rice cools.

In a large bowl, toss together the rice, kidney beans, black beans, corn, green onion, bell pepper, and cilantro.

In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, sugar, garlic, salt, cumin, chili powder, and pepper.  Pour over the salad and toss to coat.  Chill for at least two hours before serving.

Source: slightly adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe
Produce Used: Corn, green onion, bell pepper, cilantro, garlic